(BEDFORD) - This Saturday, October 28th, is "National Prescription Drug Take Back Day", and although the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department will not be participating in the curbside collection, officers do want to remind residents that they can drop off medications in the bin located in the department's upper lobby.

This bin is not just available this Saturday, but is available year round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This program is for liquid and pill medications. Needles, new or used, will not be accepted for disposal. This service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines - flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash - both pose potential safety and health hazards.